Students
practice antigravity yoga at a training room in Hangzhou, Zhejiang
province, January 11, 2015. The use of hammocks help practicers to
release pressure from their spines and reshape their bodies, according
to local media reports.

Why should physical fitness be a mundane or dreaded activity if you can spend time exalting God while doing so?
While
some may raise their eyebrows at this notion, others are making this
budding belief system their reality. Celebrities such as Kierra Sheard,
the 27-year-old gospel singer who released her fifth studio album Graceland last summer, recognize the power of incorporating fitness and faith.
Sheard recently took to Instagram to
let fans know that she's working on her fitness. The daughter of Grammy
Award-winning singer Karen Clark Sheard and Bishop J. Drew Sheard of
the Greater Emmanuel Church of God in Christ in Detroit, encouraged her
social media followers by letting them know that they, too, can worship
by exercising.

"How
you treat your body is even an act of worship! Let's go! #motivation
#workoutMusic," Kierra wrote to over 250,000 followers on Instagram. "Get your heart where it should be! Cancel out diseases and health issues! #GO."
Despite
being touted by people like Sheard, the concept of worshiping God while
working out may raise questions for Christians and nonbelievers alike.
Although the Bible doesn't provide detailed workout plans, it may give
people some insight about how to take care of their bodies.
In 1
Corinthians 6:19-20 it states, "What? know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye
are not your own? For ye are bought with a price: therefore glorify God
in your body, and in your spirit, which are God's (KJV)."
Michelle Spadafora, the president and founder of Faithful Workouts,
looks to this scripture as an example of God telling His people to
glorify Him with their bodies. While some exercise to maintain good
health, others do so to show their newly chiseled and slimmed down
bodies off to the world.
The fitness expert points out scriptures such as 1 Samuel 16:7 to prove God doesn't care about outward appearances and Proverbs 29:23 to
provide an example in Scripture where God detests pride. However,
Spadafora believes it's important to develop the right motives for
working out in order to exalt God with exercise.
"If our sole
reason for exercising and eating healthy is to have a great-looking body
that will impress others, then our actions are not in line with God's
will and it is not a form of worship," Spadafora told The Christian
Post. "However, if we are taking proper care of our body because we want
to be at our best for God's service, it is absolutely a form of
worship. I am not saying it's a bad thing to have a healthy,
strong-looking body, but that shouldn't be our main focus."
Spadafora's
Faithful Workouts is a nonprofit ministry that designs faith-centered
fitness regime for people by providing exercise videos, hundreds of
recipes, cooking videos, menu plans, faith-based music and inspirational
messages. While the fitness expert has been in the industry for 30
years, she started making her Christian faith the forefront of her
workouts in 2007.
Now, Spadafora has developed her own methods for
helping people "finally break free from fitness frustration" in a godly
way by using the ABC's. The "A" in the fitness expert's plan stands for
"ask," a concept that is outlined in biblical scriptures such as John 16:24 and Matthew 7:7.
"Why
is it so many Christians don't ask for God's help in every area of our
lives, including healthy dieting and exercise? The truth is, He cares
about all parts of your life," Spadafora said. "When we ask God to help
us and our motives are in line with His will, He will help us."
The
"B" in her method stands for "believe," since Spadafora insists it's
important to understand that confidence should come from a belief in
God's word and power to transform. The "C" stands for people "checking
their motives."
Aside from the ABC's, Spadafora finds that exercising is a great time to listen to music, or God's word.
"Not
only does it motivate me to push harder, it also keeps my focus on God.
When we exercise, chemical changes happen in our brain which allows us
to retain more information," she explained. "So when I listen to
Christian music while exercising, the lyrics of the song are getting
into my mind and I end up singing God's praises throughout my day."
This
concept isn't foreign to people such as Jill Dillard from TLC's "19
Kids & Counting" who's been vocal about listening to sermons while
working out pregnant.
"Walking at the gym this morning while listening to a sermon by pastor Rick Warren on the #OnePlace app!" Dillard posted to Instagram with a photo of herself last January.
Eric Nordhoff, the founder of SpiritFit Music,
uses his company to provide a variety of workout music mixes for
personal workouts and fitness classes. The clean lyrics and various
styles of fitness music are produced from a Christian worldview.
After
working for Christian music record labels for 10 years, Nordhoff
decided to start his business in 2010 in order to encourage believers in
their personal workouts. He spoke to CP about some practical
suggestions people can use to worship while working out.
"While
working out, try listening to uplifting and encouraging music ... music
that feeds your soul, music you can worship to, " he said. "Try to focus
on your relationship with Christ and how good He is to you while you're
working out. If you're alone, you could even try singing to Him or
think of Him as your workout buddy."
Nordhoff likens physical fitness to people giving a gift back to God.
"We
were made to be in balance, perfect harmony: body, mind and spirit. It
takes discipline and self-denial to do a workout that really changes
your body, and the feeling you get when you've accomplished it is (like)
no other," he added. "It's almost a spiritual experience and so much
more when we know, as believers, what Christ first did for us. It's
truly a gift back to Him when we complete a good workout and take care
of the very thing He has given to us."

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About Me

Ambassador T. Brikins is a Writer Blogger, Mass Communications Consultant and Inforpreneur having experiences in the National News Media, Oil and Gas, Administration, University and the Church of Christ..
He is C.E.O. @ New Direction Communications..
He is an ordained Minister and heavily imparted by Dr. David Oyedepo, Pastor E.A.Adeboye, Rev.Roselyn Oduyemi, Kenneth Copeland,Dr. D.Yongi Cho, Apostle Alex Bamgbola, Kenneth E. Hagin, Apostle G. Oduyemi, Archbishop Benson Idahosa, T.L. Osborn,Dr. E.W. Kenyon , Oral Roberts and many more.
Ambassador T. Brikins runs with the visions of Isaiah 11:9; Matthew 23:23 and 11 Corinthians 5:16-21 working with the Lord for their practical expressions in every area of life. .
He lives in Lagos, Nigeria.
Twitter:@Brikins_tuoyo
Email:weightiermatter@gmail.com
Phone:+234-8023131300